>What a Place to Cool your Heels!

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Last week, for our Hakuna Mawednesday article, we were talking about taking a break from the Parks for the day, recharging your batteries and spending some quality family time in Walt Disney World. We said a great place to do this is Typhoon Lagoon. This week we travel down the road a ways and spend another day away from the parks, at Disney’s other Water Park, Blizzard Beach. Opening in 1995, Blizzard Beach is the newer of Disney’s Water Parks. The Back story for this park is that there was a freak snowstorm that blanketed Florida with a lot of snow.What else should be done, but make a ski resort, of course the builders didn’t think this through, because as fast as the

snow came, it melted. The Ski Resort idea was abandoned, but there was an alligator that enjoyed the slushy slopes as much as the snow bunnies enjoyed skiing them, thus the park was changed into a water park, with the Ice Gator as its mascot.

Blizzard Beach offers some of the same amenities as its sister park, Typhoon Lagoon. You can rent lockers and there are food stands, offering everything from light snacks to dinner. There are also Merchandise shops and you can get complimentary life jackets. The one shop, the Beach Haus shop has ski equipment and cold weather type decorations. They even have pot-belly stoves. There are also wooden decks like they have in Typhoon Lagoon, but here they are called “Polar Patios”. Each “Polar Patio” comes with an umbrella for shade and a cooler stocked with ice and bottled water. You also get all-day drink mugs, towel service for 6 and your own private locker. Each patio also comes with a personal waiter to make sure you have everything you need.

The rides and slides here are all Winter Themed, things like Toboggan Racers,

Snow Stormers, and the Chair Lift. The Slush Gusher is a 90 foot tall water slide, but the Grand Daddy of all the Slides in Disney is called Summit Plummet. This slide is 120 foot high, and has a 12 story drop. You end up going really really fast! Disney says 50-60 MPH, that’s awesome! Blizzard Beach isn’t just about the big slides though, it is all about family. There are Teamboat Springs, which is a family raft ride; Tike’s Peak for the little ones and even Ski Patrol Training Camp for bigger kids (preteens) who are a little too old for the kiddie area.

Another great way to relax while you are here is to walk over to Winter

Summerland Miniature Golf, which shares a parking lot with Blizzard Beach. This mini-golf complex offers 2 eighteen hole courses; both are influenced by Santa Claus. One of the courses has a winter theme and the other a summer theme. Another great thing you can do while you are at Blizzard Beach, to enjoy a Hakuna Mawednesday kind of vibe, is to jump on the bus for Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort (one of the closest Resorts to Blizzard Beach) and have some lunch at the Pepper Market. The Pepper Market is a food court styled restaurant and a great place for a meal. They have quite a few different “stations” where everyone in the family can pick something different

 to eat. Once you’re done eating, you can jump right back on the bus and head back or you can explore the Coronado Springs Resort and all that it has to offer.

Remember the idea of Hakuna Mawednesday is to take a break from the rushing around and all the crowds and to enjoy yourself and your family, while recharging those batteries; there are a lot of ways to do this, but none offer you a better way to cool your heels, than Blizzard Beach.

>Food, Food, Food!

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This is the first Tips from a Teenager Tuesday. My son John, is helping me with my Tuesday articles, so I figured what I would do is ask him some questions and then tell you about the things he mentions. For those of you that have a 15 year old, you will understand some of the answers, those of you that don’t; I will say these are his real answers.

The question I will pose every week is,“Tell me something you like about Disney World that everyone needs to know about.”

The answer this week was, “Food, Food, and Food!”

“What exactly do you like about the food?”

“It’s amazing. What more can I say?”

(At this point I tried a different tactic knowing it wasn’t going to get much better)

“What are your favorite places to eat in Disney World?”

“Le Cellier, ‘Ohana, and the Pepper Market.”

Le Cellier is the steak house in the Canada Pavilion in Epcot, ‘Ohana is in the Polynesian Resort and the Pepper Market is a quick serve/sit down place in the Coronado Springs Resort.

“What makes them your favorite?”

“The quality of the food and the atmosphere.”

“Of the three of them which would you choose if you could only go to one?”

“Le Cellier.”

“Why?”

“I love a good steak every now and then.”

“It had nothing to do with the fact the waitress we had knew Marc Andre Fleury?”

“Yes, that does have something to do with it.”

Let me fill in some background John’s favorite hockey team is the Pittsburgh Penguins and he really likes Sidney Crosby. The one time we ate at Le Cellier, the Waitress mentioned she was from Nova Scotia, which is where Sidney Crosby is from. When John made a comment about him, she asked if John only liked Crosby of did he also like the Penguins, when he told her the Penguins too, she told him about knowing Marc Andre Fluery, the goaltender for the Penguins. She told us all about how she was a friend and how when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup earlier that year she and her mom were in tears for “Marky”. I think it is still one of John’s favorite Disney memories.

“Favorite thing about Ohana?”

“All you can eat. There is a Lot to choose from- chicken, steak, veggies, and Polynesian noodles.”

‘Ohana is a family style restaurant, where they bring out long skewers with beef, chicken, shrimp and pork, which are cooked over an 18 foot oak fire pit. (‘Ohana is also home of the Best Friends Breakfast with Lilo & Stitch, a character breakfast.)

“What is it about the Pepper Market that you like?”

“The many different cultures represented there.”

The Pepper Market is a food court kind of eatery, where when you first walk in, you get a ticket. You walk around to the different areas, and choose your food. The servers then stamp your ticket and you pay for all of them as you are leaving. The food choices range from Mexican, to American with Pasta, Pizza and Stir-Fry as options. There is also a Bakery and Beverage area. It is a place where the whole family can aget something they like.

“What else would you like to tell anyone about the food in Disney World?”

“That there is a place for everyone and any taste; it’s nice to know that you will always find what you are craving no matter what. Since there is so much, there is always something new to try and experience.”

“What was your favorite new experience with food in Disney?”

“The Japanese place.”

The “Japanese Place” is Teppan Edo the Japanese restaurant in the Japan Pavilion, in Epcot. At this restaurant, the food is prepared for you on a stovetop table that you sit at. It is a really neat dining experience and I think this is where John tried Sushi for the first time.


So, what else would a 15 year old boy say everyone needs to know about in Walt Disney World, FOOD! Next week, I’ll try to feed him before I ask the question, and maybe we’ll hear about something that won’t add to our waistlines. We hope you enjoyed today’s tips.

“Thank you, John.”

“Sure Dad.”

>Hungry? Let’s go to the Market Place

>Tacos are one of my favorite foods. We probably eat them once every ten days or so. I also like Chicken Fajitas, although I won’t do Taco Bell, or any other fast food Mexican restaurant. We make our own Mexican Dishes, neither my wife nor I is of Mexican or Spanish heritage, but my wife and I are pretty good at making these dishes. A friend of ours is from Sonora, Mexico and has commented on some of our Mexican Food. We use fresh peppers and things like that,but the funny thing is, for our dirty rice, which he really likes, we use a pre-packaged mix.

When we go to Walt Disney World, we still get our Mexican food fix, but not where you would think. Yes, The San Angel Inn restaurant in the Mexican Pavilion has wonderful food. Great Margaritas, and the atmosphere is awesome, but it is also a heavy meal. You could do La Cantina De San Angel, which at the moment is being refurbished, and that food is good, but it is a quick serve meal. You order at the counter pick up your food and move along. The place we get alot of our Mexican food while in Disney World at the Unknown Magic that is the Pepper Market.

The Pepper Market is the faux open air Food Court at the Coronado Springs Resort. It is set up like an open air outdoor market and the ceiling is so high that you think it is outside. It is different than the other food court areas in the other Walt Disney World Resorts, because instead of going through the order line and then paying for your food, this restaurant is kind of a self serve buffet. When you first enter, you are escorted to a seat then given what looks like a bingo ticket. You are then invited to wander around the “Market Place” to get your food. As you choose a food item, the server will stamp you ticket and when you leave after your meal, you stop and pay on your way of the market.

The Pepper Market is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and they serve a variety of foods. Each different station is set up like a booth in the Market Place. There are nine different Stations to choose from: Mexican, Stir-Fry, American Grill, Pasta, Bakery, Pizza, Espresso, Beverage, and the Kids’ Station. At Breakfast the market places regular booths are converted over to serve Breakfast fare; omelets, waffles, fruit, breakfast burritos, breakfast meats, bakery items, fruits and waffles. At lunch the Stations are in full swing, serving things like Calzones, Quesadillas, Rotisserie Chicken, Pasta Primavera, Stir Fry Beef and peanut butter and jelly. They also serve side dishes, eggrolls, veggies and fruit plates. At dinner it is basically the same, but the meals are a little bigger.

My family loves the Pepper Market for lunch, because it is the best of all worlds. Instead of going to a country in Epcot, where everyone has to be in the mood for the same kind of food, you can get whatever you want. This in itself can be a Magical Experience, especially if you have a finicky eater in the family, but the Pepper
Market’s design, color and décor make it a wonderful place for a Magical Experience too. It is a very cheerful place with brightly colored umbrellas and painted chairs, that are warm and inviting like you would imagine a Mexican Market Place would be.

Personally, I think the food is pretty good. I usually get something Mexican when I’m there, and I also add something from  the other stations also. My son’s favorite is the Taco Salad, and we have tried many of the different pastas and sandwiches. The desserts are also very good and the beverage station offers a variety of choices from juices and soda to wines and Margaritas. They even offer Smoothies for the kids.

So, now you know, if you want some Mexican food, but the rest of the family doesn’t or  if you all just want something different, for a Magical Experience you can go to the Pepper Market.

>Worth the Hop

>As I alluded to in the last post, one of the greatest things about Walt Disney World is their Resorts. But for first timers and even for people who have been to Disney a few times, there are Unknown Magics that can be missed when staying at a Disney Resort. They are actually the other Walt Disney World Resorts! No matter where you are staying on Disney Property, you are allowed to visit the other Resorts, or as my family calls it, Hotel Hopping. So I offer for you today the Unknown Magic of Hotel Hopping.

If you drive to Disney World, you get a parking pass for the Resort where you are staying. This parking pass, allows you to park at all the Theme Parks and also at all the Resorts for Free. And if you didn’t drive to Disney World, You can still Hotel Hop by using Disney transportation. The buses run from every Resort to every Theme Park, and Water Park, as well as Downtown Disney. If you catch a bus from your resort to any park, you can get on a bus to any other Resort. The buses are your main mode of transportation to The Animal Kingdom Lodge, The All Star Movie, All Star Music, All Star Sports, and Pop Century Resorts. They are also the Main way to get to the Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs Resorts. If you are in the Magic Kingdom, you can take the Monorail to The

 Contemporary, The Polynesian or The Grand Floridian Resorts. You can also take a boat from the Magic Kingdom and these Resorts to The Wilderness Lodge Resort and Fort Wilderness Campground. Boats are also available from Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios to The Dolphin and Swan Resorts, Beach and Yacht Club Resort and Boardwalk Resort. A different set of boats run between Downtown Disney, Old Key West, Saratoga Springs and the Port Orleans Resorts.

This is a great thing! It means that if you are staying at any resort, you can visit all the other Walt Disney World Resorts. This means that if you are staying in one of the All Star resorts, you can still go to any of the other resorts to hang out, or get a meal. We absolutely Love this. Whenever My Family is in Disney World we Hotel Hop almost every day; that’s not to say we don’t enjoy where we are staying, it’s just that we enjoy taking our afternoon break from the parks, at different Resorts, because if you take the time to look, you will find Magical experiences at all of them.

Most of the time we go to the other Resorts for Food; we really enjoy the Pepper Market at Coronado Springs, and it seems that we always eat at least one meal of our trip at the Kona Café in the Polynesian Resort. Sometimes, we just go to the Polynesian Resort and sit by the indoor waterfall or better yet, we go out back and walk on the white sand beach, with its wonderful view of the Magic Kingdom. As stated in the post from 8/9 (See Something Grand) I love going to the Contemporary

 Resort and hanging out in the Grand Canyon Concourse. Our Favorite though (as stated many times in past posts) is the Boardwalk, both at night and during the day we will go there for good food and some Magical Family Experiences.

Another really great place you can go for a Magical Family Experience, is the Animal Kingdom Lodge. You can go to the viewing area above the Savannah and watch the animals roam and eat. If you have kids, especially ones between 3-12 years old, this is a great place to take an afternoon break. They will
spend a good amount of time standing and watching and even trying to find as many animals as they can. And while they are doing that, you can sit inside the lobby watching them from an air conditioned seat.

But the more expensive Resorts aren’t the only ones to visit. The All-Star Movies, Music and Sports are very cool Resorts to go and check out. The Themes in these resorts is awesome. From the Giant Bowling Pins to the pool shaped like a guitar, they are fun to go and see, as are the Moderate Resorts on Disney Property. The French Quarter looking rooms in Port Orleans or the Colors of the Resort and the layout of the Coronado Springs Resort are really cool.

All of these Disney Resorts have something special to offer. At many of them you can also “Pool Hop”, meaning that if you aren’t staying there, you can still go there to use the pool. All of the Pools are amazing. There are some restrictions for Pool Hopping at different times of the year, so check with the concierge at your Resort or with a Cast member at the front desk to find out about these restrictions.  Another good reason to Hotel Hop is to check out the other Resorts to see if you might want to stay there on your next Disney Trip.
So, now you know, no matter what Resort you are staying in you can go to another and look around, have a meal or even spend the day. Doing this may create a Magical Experience for your Family, or it may just help you decide where to stay on your next Walt Disney World Vacation. So, during your visit, take some time at the other Resorts, I promise it’ll be worth the hop.